1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for generating mid-infrared light using multiple quantum well optically active materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many electronic and telecommunications devices such as lasers and light emitting diodes require highly reliable light emitting components. It is especially desirable that such light emitting components be on silicon thereby making them compatible with existing silicon-based electronics. Until now, fabrication of such reliable light emitting devices, particularly on silicon has been limited by the ability of the optically active material to withstand thermal stresses associated with device operation. Since the direct band gap semiconductor materials that typically are the optically active material in such devices characteristically have large thermal expansion mismatches with common substrate materials, and especially with silicon, the heating generated during device operation can produce sufficient tensile or compressive stress to rapidly degrade the performance of the optically active material. Likewise, current methods for generating mid-infrared light require steps of cooling the light-emitting devices to cryogenic temperatures.
Thus, there exists a need for a method for generating mid-infrared light at temperatures near room temperature including providing a robust, optically active material, preferably one that can be grown directly on a silicon substrate.